Natasha Akpoti’s constituents submit petition to INEC for her recall

Some members of the Kogi Central constituency have submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents the district in the National Assembly.

Under Nigerian law, a recall process requires a petition signed by more than 50 percent of registered voters in the constituency, followed by verification and a referendum. The entire process must be concluded within 90 days from the date of submission.

Speaking on Monday, March 24, Charity Omole, a representative of the constituents, said the petition was filed because the district cannot afford to be without representation in the Senate.

“We have come to recall her so that we can have a representative in the Senate. We are here to tell INEC to please follow the constitutional process for a recall so that a recall process can begin,” Omole said.

“We submitted the petition and it has been received. All other documents have been received.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate on March 6 for “gross misconduct” following a seating arrangement altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The suspension came just days after she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.

Omole dismissed speculations that the recall move was being orchestrated by external forces, insisting that the decision came from the constituents.

“We are the ones that voted her and we don’t want her anymore because we cannot afford not to have a representative. Nobody is bankrolling us. Nobody is having any personal issue with her. It is just what it is. The game is the game,” she said.

According to Omole, the petition has been signed by more than 250,000 of the 488,000 registered voters in Kogi Central. “INEC is an institutional body. They would have to follow due process. So they will get back to us and do their job,” she added.

INEC is expected to review the petition and initiate the verification process to determine the next steps in the recall procedure.